art for humanity...'the art of human rights'
is a non-profit organisation based in Durban, South Africa which specialises in producing fine art print portfolios, exhibitions, billboards and research projects that advocate various human rights issues in South Africa and internationally. The Art for Humanity website serves as an online resource for those interested in human rights, art and social development.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Into the Mind of An Artist

By Nicole Hodnett

Artist –Uche Uzorka

1 As a Dialogue Amongst Civilisations artist, what was your inspiration for you latest piece of artwork?

My influences have come from the litter of posters in urban centres.
In the present body of work, I have begun to trace not only the origin, but also the karmic effects of stains on defaced surfaces in urban spaces. By drawing a line between the cause and the effect, i hope to establish the creator power in all who live in a defined, organized and governed urban space .Apparently we are all involved to different dimensions in shaping or influencing the social scape .I believe this influences can occur to a high degree in clustered urban centres like Lagos and Abuja, in Nigeria for example. This has been my focus for this exhibition.

2 In general, what inspires you as a person??

There is a massive amount of human energy on our planet today. For me, it is difficult to ignore the creative power of the individual human .I like to explore how this potent creativity is utilized especially in situations of human relativity, interactions and tolerance.

3 What does Art For Humanity mean to you??

A.F.H represents for me, a clear choice and a clear opinion. I think that sometimes we make unconscious choices, in doing this, regardless of the methods of choosing, a person must realize that there will be consequences any how. It is important to consider yourself as a contributor in every situation.

4 What are you views on Freedom of Expression worldwide??

philosophy and indeed connote ignorance , especially in a world of multiple opinions, but I do not believe that any one person has the sole right or the freedom to think, and transfer those thoughts into action, neither does any one have the right to be ignorant enough to become freely influenced.

Without the benefit of self discipline and mastery, without consideration for the position of the second or third person, any thought coming from a single individual, must be constrained before action .
It is difficult to think a perfect thought and also to execute an action perfectly especially in our world ,where one reckless word, letter or symbol can lead to a multiple of reckless actions

5What is you advice to artists who wish to enter the industry of Art

Having an opinion as an artist is important, because it gives you a perspective from which other people can approach you for a conversation. Art can be a tool for protest, whether it is reactive or proactive. Art can be like prophecy, it even acts as a catalyst sometimes by inadvertently setting things into motion .I think that amongst these frames , you could see that many artists have found their work falling into one or more.
I am not sure if one artist can have a singular opinion through out the entire span of their career. but i believe it is important to be consistent in your thought process, so that if when your stories change, it can still be seen to come from the same person